Thailand: Authorities must overturn sentence against Chonthicha ‘Lookkate’ Jangrew, uphold freedom of expression

Thai pro-democracy Member of Parliament and woman human rights defender Chonthicha “Lookkate” Jangrew was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison under Thailand’s lèse-majesté law and Computer Crime Act for a social media post criticising royal and military expenditures. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH-OMCT), together with the undersigned organisations, express deep concern over this ruling and urge Thai authorities to overturn the verdict and end the judicial harassment of Lookkate and all those exercising their right to freedom of expression.

Paris, Geneva, 17 September 2025 – The undersigned organisations are deeply alarmed over the Thai Criminal Court’s decision to sentence pro-democracy defender-turned-politician Chonthicha “Lookkate” Jangrew to two years and eight months in prison after being prosecuted under Section 112 of the Criminal Code (lèse-majesté or royal defamation) and the Computer Crime Act (CCA).

The group jointly calls on Thai authorities to overturn the sentence as well as to immediately and unconditionally end all forms of judicial harassment against Lookkate and all other human rights defenders.

Lookkate’s case exemplifies a heavy-handed and repressive approach to freedom of expression.

What happened

On 8 September 2025, Lookkate—a Member of Parliament (MP) from the People’s Party and woman human rights defender—was initially sentenced to four years in prison under Thailand’s lèse-majesté law and CCA, both of which have increasingly been weaponized as tools against dissenters.

The sentence was later reduced to two years and eight months following Lookkate’s close cooperation.

The charges stem from a social media post in which Lookkate voiced opinions about royal expenditures, military transfers and budgets, and promotions for civilian servants. The Court deemed her statements “offensive and disrespectful to the monarchy.”

During the appeal process, Lookkate was then granted bail with a 300,000 baht bond (approx. USD 9,452). She is prohibited from leaving Thailand without court approval.

A pro-democracy defender

Before becoming a MP for the Move Forward Party, which was later succeeded by the People’s Party, Lookkate was widely recognised for her contribution to Thailand’s pro-democracy and human rights movement.

She is a co-founder and coordinator of the Democracy Restoration Group, a youth-led activist organisation. In recognition of her activism, she was named as one of TIME’s Next Generation Leaders in 2024.

Since the 2014 military coup, Lookkate has been arrested several times for her involvement in peaceful pro-democracy protests.

Like other politically prosecuted Thai activists, she was required to wear an Electronic Monitoring (EM) ankle bracelet. Between March 2021 and March 2023, at least 94 individuals—primarily pro-democracy activists and civilians—were ordered by Thai courts to wear EM bracelets as a bail condition, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights reported. The number peaked at 56 in October 2022 and dropped to 19 by March 2023, following a hunger strike staged by activists “Tawan” and “Bam.” The incident led to the release of 34 individuals from EM monitoring.

After nearly a year on EM monitoring, Lookkate was granted permission to have her ankle bracelet removed in February 2023. She shared how having to wear an EM bracelet had taken a heavy psychological and professional toll on her.

Many other Thai human rights defenders are experiencing various forms of harassment for simply exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. These include the likes of human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa, who has been denied bail, held in pre-trial, and handed 29 years in prison. Meanwhile, woman human rights defender Pimsiri Petchnamrob was indicted on 10 charges, including lèse-majesté, sedition, and illegal assembly.

Such a pattern of judicial harassment against defenders highlights Thailand’s repressive approach to peaceful dissent.

Call to action

1. We urge Thai authorities to stop the routine misuse of laws to target human rights defenders, journalists, independent media, and ordinary citizens who are merely practicing their freedom of expression. Authorities must help create a safe and enabling environment wherein defenders can carry on with their invaluable human rights work without fear of reprisals.
2. As a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council and a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Thailand has a binding obligation to respect, protect, and fulfill the right to freedom of expression.
3. Instead of criminalising dissenting voices, Thai authorities must genuinely commit to international human rights standards and ensure to protect—rather than punish— peaceful dissent.